Cardio-protective role of Humanin in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion

Mitochondria-derived peptides (MDPs) are bioactive peptides encoded by and secreted from the mitochondria. To date, a few MDPs including humanin, MOTS-c and SHLP1–6, and their diverse biological functions have been identified. The first and most studied MDP is humanin, a 24-amino-acid poly peptide. It was first identified in 2001 in the surviving neurons of patient with Alzheimer's disease, and since then has been well characterized for its neuro-protective effect through inhibition of apoptosis. Over the past two decades, humanin has been reported to play critical roles in aging as well as multiple diseases including metabolic disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and autoimmune disease. Humanin has been shown to modulate multiple biological processes including autophagy, ER stress, cellular metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammation. A role for humanin has been shown in a wide range of cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease, atherosclerosis, and myocardial fibrosis. In this minireview, we will summarize the literature demonstrating a role for humanin in cardio-protection following myocardial ischemia-reperfusion induced injury and the potential mechanisms that mediate it. •MDPs are a novel family of short bioactive peptides.•One of the MDP, Humanin, plays a role in many diseases.•Humanin offers cardioprotection in models of ischemia-reperfusion injury.•Humanin in pleiotropic in action, and is cardioprotective through its effects on apoptosis, oxidative stress, and metabolism.